My girl pug (confirmed Cushings & confirmed calcinosis cutis) / Tobey has passed

Hmm, if she's had them under the skin for a month or more, she may never get them very bad. Most active CC lesions are very aggressive. In the beginning it would take a week for the lesions to break through and become raw / bloody. The hair would come out in clumps with bloody skin attached to the ends. This time around (second time for us), they came through rather quickly as well, but have not been raw or bloody and the hair has been slower to fall out. Just very thick, hard, and flaky. And definitely visible.

Have you had a biopsy done? That is the only true way to diagnose CC. We did have a few punch biopsies done to confirm. You might consider doing that. If they aren't progressing, then I would suggest you just focus on controlling her cortisol and watch to see how the ripples develop.

Hi Renee,

Just picked Margaret up from the vet where she had another test done. Results will be in by Wednesday. Unfortunately when I got her home I noticed a discharge coming from her vaginal area and when I turned her over I spotted what I think is an open CC lesion. I could also see flakey dry skin on her sides, so I cleaned it and sprayed it with chlorihexidine spray? I can see that she's going to have to get tested for sure for CC. I'll make an appointment next week, after the holiday.

"If you look at Tobey's album, you'll get an idea of how bad it can get when it's untreated."

When you say untreated, do you mean the cortisol levels for the Cushings or direct treatment for CC?

What about the trembling? Has anyone experienced that too? Is that because she is in pain? I noticed when she had the tramadol pill she stopped the trembling. Do I need a prescription for minocycline? Is it something I can get from the vet?

Thanks for the support, this site has been so helpful and eye opening!

Margie's Bells Mom, Pam

When I mean untreated, I mean this was before we began cushings treatment (vetoryl). She had her CC for approx 6-8 weeks before we started treating her cushings. So, it had plenty of time to really get bad. There is no direct treatment for CC - there are things you can do to lessen the discomfort and protect from infection, but lowering the cortisol is the only way to bring those lesions down.

The CC lesions don't usually move onto the stomach, but they can. Also, the vaginal discharge can be a side affect (rare) of vetoryl. I know Tobey's thread is likely too long to read through, but she had that side affect for a few weeks / months too. She just had random vaginal discharge. She is spayed, so I know it wasn't that.

Trembling is not an issue we've had, but it is a well documented side affect of vetoryl, again. If the tramadol helped, then I suggest you continue to use it on occasion.

Minocycline is a prescription anitbiotic, which has studies showing it can aid in the treatment of CC. I can't speak to whether it really has a significant impact or not, but I think it's worth running a course, especially since Margie's CC is not very bad right now.

My Rollie has cushings and possibly the worst case of CC the vet has ever seen. Hes been on Vetoryl for almost 4 weeks now and i feel like the cc is getting worse. Its his whole back and face. =( breaks my heart.. any tips? Feeling hopeless.

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Administrative Note: Rollie now has a new thread of his own located here: http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8270

Hi everyone, quick update on my girl, since I see my thread got bumped up. I've been crazy busy these last 6 weeks with the tax deadlines hitting me. The final deadline is next Monday, then I'll be able to catch my breath!

Tobey's CC is still static. Very, very slow healing. Still some hard crusty patches, but also some fresh skin in a few small spots. I just had her tested for a UTI (cultured), and will be doing a stim test / bloodwork next Tuesday. She (FINALLY!!) sees the IMS next Thursday for a consult. I am sooooo excited to see this guy! Her cough is very minimal, but I'm hoping she puts on a good show for the IMS so I can get his feedback. Oh, how I wish he had been here last February!

Anyway, I am thinking about you all and hoping everyone is doing well. We will update, and try to be more active, after next week.

Exciting that you will finally see the IMS. I am curious what they will say about
Tobeys case.

Do let us know and hope you survive tax season unscathed. :)

Update from the IMS consultation today.

First - stim test 10/18 - baseline 2.7, post 3.8. Super, super happy with these numbers. This is 5mg BID.

The IMS' name is Dr Ronald Walton. I am so excited he is here in Alaska (on rotation) for all of the pets that may need his service.

Since Tobey is very well controlled right now *YAY*, he didn't have much in the way of specific suggestions or input to improve anything. He complimented her tight clinical and symptom control.

A few general comments he made that I would like to pass on:

-- He is a BIG proponent of trilostane over brand name vetoryl. I was actually a bit taken aback by his stance on this. He told me that he is an exclusive trilostane user (from Diamondback, Roadrunner, and Wedgewood only). He has big issue with Dechra and feels they are taking advantage of owners, not only with vetoryl, but with some other drugs as well. I don't plan on switching, but for those that hesitate, here is one more IMS in favor of the compounded. I did ask about the study in regards to compounding discrepancies. He was very adamant that those studies were not credible and definitely not applicable to the three large pharmacies he uses. So, take that for what you will.

-- He is also very big on the use of DMSO for CC treatment, which made me a bit sad, as I never liked the substance. He explained some of the science, in that the DMSO (of course) does not TREAT the CC, nor eliminate the cause, but that because it is a solvent, it helps to literally break down the calcium crystals in the active lesions, which can lessen some of the irritation. It has to be used daily, and one must wear gloves while using it. It should be massaged into the lesion, not just spread about on top of it. I won't be using it, but this information may help some people, especially those that aren't actively treating.
---

Anyway, the biggest thing we spent time on was her coughing. He is fairly well certain that she has a collapsing trachea. We discussed treatment options, which range from installing a stent (not something I am interested in), to medical management using medications. He suggested we do a fluoroscopy to see where her collapse is located and how bad it is. I declined at the moment, because I am trying to decide what I want to accomplish and what I want to put her through. Now, in her defense, she is happy at the vet's office and does not have anxiety, so that is not the issue. I'm just not sure if there is anything OTHER than medical management that I would do for her, so in that regard, why waste $600 for the procedure?

Feedback? Thoughts?

My Marvin has a collapsed trachea, as did my other Pom, Bear. Both are/were medically managed with Hydrocodone and Terbutaline. Leslie had posted to a member about using Adequan for collapsed trachea, which sounds very interesting and I've been wanting to find more information about this ;)

Super good stim numbers!!!!!

Yay for tight clinical and symptom control!!

I wish I had some sources to give you about the Adequan. One of the vets the rescue I was working with used told me it was how he treated small dogs with collapsing trachea and that it worked most of the time.